Published 28 March 2024
A group of our Year 12 students, accompanied by Mr Owen, Miss May and Mrs Lane are in Krakow, Poland. The 3-day trip is part of our Beacon School Programme, in conjunction with the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education, which enhances teaching and learning about the Holocaust. The visit will include a visit to Kazimierz, Krakow (considering the impact of the occupation), a trip to Galicia Museum to meet with a Holocaust Survivor and a visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum. Students will also visit Rynek Podgorski to learn more about the former ghetto, living conditions and forced labour.
Mikey Cloete is one of the students travelling to Poland, he said: “I look forward to this trip as I believe it will be highly educational as well as interesting. The trip has been planned to give us a good balance of Holocaust focus, whilst allowing us breaks from some of the most intense and serious educational experiences. I personally decided to go on this trip as I have always held a great interest around WW2 and developing a greater understanding of the deeper topics around the Holocaust. I hope to gain personal experiences of being in these areas and to expand my own knowledge. I believe everyone will gain a great educational, personal and emotional affect from this trip.”
In the months leading up to the visit, the students involved with the programme have had the opportunity to attend a series of school seminars, led by teaching staff, and covering topics such as The Nuremburg Trials, literature around the Holocaust and pre-war Jewish life. Mikey, alongside fellow Year 12 students, Sophie and Vanja, has been chosen as Beacon Captain. The role will involve contributing to ideas around the Beacon School Programme and how it is delivered across school, as well as sharing their own experiences and lessons from the programme to the wider school community. The students have plans to lead a school assembly on their experiences following their return from Poland.
